


a beef bowl's worth a thousand words (or something like that)

by obstinateRixatrix



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Image-Based, M/M, Mobile friendly, Pre-Relationship, Screen Reader Friendly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-28
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-05-28 07:40:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19389550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obstinateRixatrix/pseuds/obstinateRixatrix
Summary: Yusuke makes a beef bowl.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this morning I woke up and three different people sent me the [ryuji/yusuke team-up attack](https://youtu.be/YP4__qUJWfM?t=55) so I went nuts & wrote this today. Time For The 4th Foxskull Renaissance. thanks liz for the once-over!
> 
> transcript for the text segment is at the bottom - this SHOULD be mobile friendly without having to click another link because I used [this work skin](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15768186), so hopefully this works??

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yusuke: Do you have plans this afternoon?  
> Ryuji: Not really.  
> Yusuke: Wonderful.  
> Yusuke: Meet me at Gyomu.  
> Ryuji: What, now?  
> Yusuke: You said you were available.  
> Ryuji: I mean yeah but  
> Ryuji: Alright, sure.  
> Ryuji: Be there in 15 minutes.


	2. Chapter 2

“You brought me here… to buy groceries?” Ryuji asks. With absolutely zero shame, Yusuke puts a pack of noodles into the basket. The basket Ryuji’s holding. Because that’s what he’s here for, apparently.

“Yes.” Which, that makes sense, why else would someone want to meet up at a grocery store. Ryuji basically expected something like this was going to happen, but whatever, it’s not like he’s got anywhere to be. So he just follows Yusuke around as they make their way to the produce, where Yusuke takes his time scrutinizing two nearly identical stalks of green onion. After a solid five minutes, he finally comes to a decision and carefully puts one of them back. Then picks up another one. “Incidentally, is your kitchen free for the evening?”

“What? Yeah, I guess,” Ryuji says. “Mom’s got a shift tonight, she’s not gonna be back ‘til morning.”

“I see. I’ll be using it, then.” Satisfied with the green onions he’s meticulously curated, Yusuke wraps both of them up and places them into the basket. Then picks up a package of mushrooms. From the looks of it, he’s carefully examining each individual mushroom. 

Well, it’s a good thing Ryuji’s got time to kill— might as well wander down the snack aisle and check out what’s on sale.

* * *

When they get to Ryuji’s place, Yusuke unloads their purchases, plus a couple other bottles out from his bag. Just stuff like soy sauce, cooking wine, the works— they’re all maybe half full, so makes sense he wouldn’t bother getting any. From the looks of it, he’s gonna make a beef bowl.

“Need any help?” Ryuji asks.

“No,” Yusuke says, rolling up his sleeves and helping himself to an apron. “Feel free to relax,” he adds, as if it’s _his_ apartment, but whatever.

It’s a little weird to just do nothing and watch someone cook, but every time Ryuji edges towards the unminced garlic or goes to clean the mushrooms, Yusuke very firmly steers him away. He’s determined to do it alone, apparently. So, after making sure he actually knows how to use a knife and isn’t gonna cut himself or anything, Ryuji backs off.

What’s _really_ surprising is how comfortable Yusuke seems in the kitchen. After all, this is the guy who was pretty enthusiastic about living off bean sprouts and foraging for mushrooms, which probably isn’t the mindset of someone who knows how to cook. But it actually looks like he knows what he’s doing, chopping everything up and cooking the meat with a practiced familiarity. He’s super focused too, staring at the simmering broth like it’s the most important thing in the universe. So, the kind of look he gets when he’s making art. But, like… it’s just a beef bowl, isn’t it?

Finally, after putting everything together— the broth, the noodles, the beef, the vegetables, the towering heap of peppers— Yusuke nods, satisfied. “Cooked to perfection,” he announces, which makes him sound pretty full of himself since he’s talking about his own work, but honestly? It really is perfect. Like something out of a magazine, totally professional, not a single noodle out of place. Smells good, too.

“Good job, dude,” Ryuji says. “So… you gonna eat it or what?”

“What? Of course not,” Yusuke says, looking vaguely insulted. “It’s for you.”

Ryuji blinks. “Huh?”

“Did you really believe I’d make a meal in front of you only to eat it myself?”

And, yeah, that’d seriously be a dick move. One Ryuji would _immediately_ give him shit for. But also. “Honestly, I never know what’s goin’ on with you,” Ryuji admits. “What’s up with the beef bowl, anyway?”

“I wanted to properly convey my feelings,” Yusuke says.

“Y-your _feelings!?”_

“Yes. My feelings of gratitude.”

“Oh,” Ryuji says, trying to bring his heart rate down to something more reasonable. And he’s not— he’s not _disappointed_ , that’d mean he was expecting something and he _wasn’t_ , but it’s— it’s a weird way to put things, alright! A guy could get the wrong idea!

“I’ve been practicing at Leblanc,” Yusuke explains. “It took several attempts, but after Boss took it upon himself to offer instruction, I improved rather quickly. Unfortunately, not quickly enough, as I managed to use up my funds in the process. However, I am absolutely certain that I’ve managed to perfect the art of the beef bowl.”

“But like, why?”

“It’s… as I’ve said.” Yusuke takes Ryuji’s hand, staring at him with some serious intensity. “I’m truly grateful for all the times you’ve offered me food, as well as your company. I wanted to repay your kindness.”

Ryuji takes another look at the perfect beef bowl. Like, it’s seriously perfect— he can’t imagine how the first attempt must’ve gone, or how many attempts it took to reach Yusuke’s standard of perfection. So, he kind of gets what Yusuke’s trying to say. At least, he thinks he does. And he’s touched. A beef bowl’s worth a thousand words, huh. 

“Hey,” Ryuji says. “It’d be a waste to eat this by myself. Grab a bowl, we’ll split it.”

“Oh. If you insist,” Yusuke says, looking pleasantly surprised, and now it’s Ryuji’s turn to be vaguely insulted. Did he really think Ryuji was just gonna eat dinner alone, right in front of him? Hell no, give him _some_ credit. “Still, you should at least have the first bite as it is. The presentation is important to appreciate.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Ryuji rolls his eyes, grabbing a pair of chopsticks. And he’s not sure what to expect, like, sure it looks good, and it smells good, but who knows how it’s gonna taste, so maybe he’s a little cautious with the first bite.

“Dude what the eff,” he says. “This is amazing? Holy shit? Hey, are you listening to me?” Ryuji asks, because Yusuke’s very definitely tuning him out, distracted by who knows what.

It takes a hard poke from Ryuji’s chopsticks before Yusuke finally snaps out of his daze. “Hm?”

“Come on, I’m trying to compliment you here,” Ryuji complains. “At least try and pay attention!”

“I am,” Yusuke insists, even though he definitely wasn’t. But it’s no big deal, they’ve got a beef bowl to enjoy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I only realized this after the fact, but I was inspired for 'feelings of gratitude' by one of my all time favorite manga [hana to hoshi](https://mangadex.org/title/4623/hana-to-hoshi). read it... it's good... 
> 
> anyway, hoped you enjoyed the fic!


End file.
